When Houston-based Juliet
Homes began its first single-family residential project, Ball Park
Plaza, in the underdeveloped east side of downtown, the company's owners
had no idea this project would be its top-selling development to date.

But what surprised the
owners of the company most was the number of single women who purchased
homes. When more than 75 percent of sales at Ball Park Plaza were made
to women, Juliet Homes realized targeting women home buyers would be the
key to its success.

According to the 2004
National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, the
single female segment of the home buyer population accounted for 18
percent of all home buyers in 2004. Single women purchased approximately
one in five homes in 2003, while more than one in 10 was purchased by
single men.

In addition, about one
quarter of the nation's nearly 8 million single mothers spend more than
half of their incomes on housing, compared with one-tenth of households
headed by single fathers. Over the time period of 1994 to 2002, the
number of unmarried females owning homes climbed from 13.9 million to
17.5 million.

Marketing to women

To attract female home
buyers, Juliet hired the Houston-based design and marketing firm Deuce
Creative. The all-woman-owned and -operated group created a campaign to
target the woman buyer.

"It made sense to hire a
firm that represented the target audience we are trying to reach. We
have found that over half of our buyers are women, and the women who are
not directly buying our homes are huge influences in the purchase," says
Juliet Homes co-owner Bernie Kane.

Aimee Smith, marketing
director for Deuce Creative, was part of the team that designed Juliet's
latest campaign appealing to woman home buyers. The firm implemented a
creative theme that will speak to women -- a demographic she says is not
being spoken to by other builders -- through language, graphic elements
and color stories.

Juliet's marketing
campaign illustrates the idea "luxury is standard," a concept Smith says
appeals to all home buyers, but especially to women.

"The spacious closets,
hardwood floors and granite countertops are upgrades that appeal to
women. These amenities make a home feel custom built, which is a goal of
Juliet homes," says Smith.

"The woman home buyer is
more sophisticated. She's independent. She's doing this on her own. So
we have tried to target women through subtle ways," she explains.

"The homes themselves
have a romantic feel, so we wanted to keep with that feel in the
advertising. But it's not blatant. We didn't just want to show a woman
standing in front of a house. And, in appealing to women, we didn't want
to alienate men. True, the majority of the buyers are women, but the
male buyers are important, too," she says.

"We've also carefully
chosen names of developments -- Fleur Gardens Estates, for example. It
has a feminine feel. It's cosmopolitan," Smith adds. "Another community
is The Vineyards, with names like Sancerre (a French white wine) and
Alsace (a region in France)."

Listening to women

To ensure Juliet Homes is
building to the standards women desire, the company conducts focus
groups after a buyer has purchased a home. After a great deal of
response from woman home buyers, Juliet has created an appealing look
and lifestyle for its occupants.

"We really try to mimic
the same finishes you see in million-dollar homes. Some standard
upgrades in our homes include travertine in showers, stainless steel
appliances, showers with seats and wrought iron spindles on the stairs.
These types of details appeal to women and set our homes apart from
others," says Kane.

Exterior details are also
influenced by woman home buyers. For example, in Memorial Park Village,
located in Memorial Park near the European-style roundabout off
Washington Avenue and Westcott, "The exterior color choices vary because
we found that women want more options and individuality in the look of
their home," Smith says.

Kimberly Munsell, a
single-woman home buyer in her 30s, is a representation of the audience
Juliet Homes is targeting. The working professional bought a home at
Washington Square, off Washington, in January 2004. Munsell says she and
Juliet Homes have the same goals.

"The builders and I have
the same eye for lifestyle and investment. My home has a touch of class
with maximum upgrades. It is great to live in a community with a lot of
women because we can all get together. Living there includes a feminine
lifestyle. The price point is also right on target. It was a great
investment because I knew my home would appreciate even before I bought
it," says Munsell.

Urban areas and beyond

The Houston-based home
building company was established in 2002 when Kane and Doug Brown joined
forces. Juliet Homes began building exclusively freestanding homes in
larger master-planned communities, as well as in smaller developments,
mainly in Houston's inner loop.

Building in
underdeveloped areas has allowed Juliet Homes to be the pioneer in many
urban areas.

"After we started Ball
Park Plaza near downtown, there was a complete shift in the market. The
land was $1.50 a foot when we bought in, and now land is selling for
more than $20 a foot," says Kane.

Juliet Homes has decided
to try to develop in more diverse areas and has plans for future
projects near the Texas Medical Center and The Woodlands.

Juliet Homes'
newest project, Fleur Garden Estates, is scheduled to break ground in
the next 30 days. The gated community on Richmond Avenue a few miles
west of the 610 West Loop, will feature 40 homes ranging from 1,640
square feet to 2,101 square feet. The homes will be priced from
$279,900. This community is the first of three Juliet developments in
the area scheduled to be finished by the end of the year.